subota, 26. prosinca 2009.

Real Madrid piled more misery upon Real Zaragoza with a devastating performance at the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his return for Los Merengues, while Rafael Van Der Vaart kept his place. Zaragoza, meanwhile, went with a front three of Angel Lafita, Jermaine Pennant, and Javier Arizmendi.

Zaragoza had dispensed of Marcelina due to their poor previous results, but they got off to the worst possible start at the Bernabeu. Just two minutes in, Marcelo released Gonzalo Higuain down the left, and there was never any doubt about the result, as 'El Pipita' finished with typical aplomb, leaving Lopez Vallejo with no chance.

It was one way traffic, and Van der Vaart came close to extending the lead when he headed Sergio Ramos' cross wide. It was a sighter for the Dutch international, and he made no mistake with his next chance. On 26 minutes, Marcelo chipped a through ball into his path, and he made no mistake, slotting home from a similar angle to the first goal.

Van der Vaart, who looked to have no future at the Bernabeu at the start of the season, has come into his own in recent weeks, and he was clearly determined to make the most of his opportunity. Three minutes later, he found himself on the end of a cross from Sergio Ramos, and a deft touch took it past Vallejo and into the goal for the third.

Zaragoza were being completely outclassed, but they did come close to pulling one back, when Lafita drew a smart save from Casillas with his shot from range. It was a false dawn though, as with ten minutes left in the first half, Higuain added his second. There seemed to be nothing on when the ball was lobbed into the box, but the Argentine did well to control among a crowd, before hooking it expertly over the keeper.

With all the goals flying in, Ronaldo was feeling left out, and he came agonzingly close with a trademark free-kick from a tight angle. That was the last action in a disastrous first half for the visitors, who no doubt were dreading having to re-appear for the second.

Zaragoza came out for the second half hoping to avoid further damage, but Ronaldo had other ideads. Receiving Marcelo's cross from the left, he turned Javier Paredes not once but twice, leaving him on the floor before smashing the ball past Vallejo, for the fifth.

It was a humiliation at the Bernabeu, and with twenty minutes remaining, Karim Benzema, who had only recently come on for Higuain, added the sixth. Having been set up by Van der Vaart, he beat Francisco Pavon before cooly finishing with his left.

Madrid continued to press until the end of the game, with Esteban Granero hitting the woodwork, but despite their hunger for more goals, there were to be no more. Still, it was a commanding performance, that keeps them just two points behind Barca. Zaragoza, meanwhile, remain in the relegation zone.

Player Ratings

REAL MADRID

Casillas: 6 - Had virtually nothing to deal with for the entire match, but was brought into a good save in the first half by Lafita.

Ramos: 7.5 - He had an excellent game as he both defended well and put a number of dangerous crosses into the box for his team-mates. Great assist for the third goal.

Garay: 7 - Set up the fifth goal with an excellent cross, and was untroubled in a defensive sense for the majority of the match.

Albiol: 6.5 - Like Garay, he had very little to deal with in his own half, but what threat there was from the visitors, he coped with well.

Arbeloa: 6.5 - Not quite as active as Ramos on the opposite flank, but offered an option in attack on a number of occasions and kept former Liverpool team-mate Pennant quiet.

M. Diarra: 7 - The more defensive of the central midfield pairing, he sat back and was happy to supply others with the ball.

L. Diarra: 7 - Along with his namesake, he dominated the Zaragoza midfield both technically and physically. Confident in possession, and got forward when he could.

Marcelo: 7.5 - Set up the first goal well and supplied Van der Vaart with a great chipped assist for the second. A far easier night than usual as he was never tested in a defensive sense.

Van der Vaart: 8.5 - The former Ajax man took his first goal brilliantly as he scored a brace that will really help his confidence. He was so comfortable on the ball all evening - a really timely performance.

Ronaldo: 8 - He was allowed to express himself as his side were coasting, often showing great skill on the ball, and scored an excellent goal at the start of the second half.

Higuain: 9 - A really calm finish for the opening goal before he dazzled the Zaragoza defence as he scored a sublime second. Another superb performance from one of the most in-form players in Europe.

Substitutes:

Raul: 5.5 - Didn't really get involved and was a little careless on the ball.

Benzema: 7 - Scored with a great finish for the final goal of the night, and could have scored a couple more.

Granero: 6.5 - He didn't have long on the pitch but did an adequate job during the final 15 minutes and looked to add to the goal tally.

REAL ZARAGOZA

Lopez Vallejo: 4 - He saw six goals fly past him, and while his defence was also to blame for several of them, the 'keeper needed to be on far better form to help his side.

Diogo: 3 - While he is short on match fitness, he was often exposed against Arbeloa and Ronaldo on the left hand side. Looked completely out of his depth.

Ayala: 4.5 - Struggling with his lack of pace against Higuain and is clearly not good enough to compete at the very top level any more.

Pavon: 4 - Demonstrated just why Real Madrid had let him go - far too slow to deal with the hosts' threat. His inadequacies were exemplified when Benzema walked past him for the final goal.

Paredes: 5 - He tried to get forward when possible but really struggled to contain Ramos and it was his clearance that fell to Higuain in the build up to the fourth goal.

Ponzio: 5 - Dominated by the two Diarra's throughout and really struggled to have any kind of impact on the match.

Abel Aguilar: 5 - The 24-year-old struggled from the off against the physical threat of los Blancos and was withdrawn just after the hour mark.

Pennant: 4.5 - He tried switching flanks but had very little luck against either Ramos or Arbeloa. Negligible impact.

Ander Herrera: 5.5 - Tried to get the strikers involved whenever possible and looked to put himself about, but there were few options available to him when he was in possession.

Lafita: 5.5 - The former Deportivo man was the biggest threat that Zaragoza could muster in an attacking sense, and tested Casillas with a rare shot on goal in the first half.

Arizmendi: 4 - Might as well have not bothered coming out onto the pitch for all the difference that he made. Fired one dismal shot off target in the first half and was substituted in the 64th minute.

Substitutes:

Jorge Lopez: 5.5 - Couldn't really change a game that was sewn up well before his introduction, but valiantly tried to salvage some pride for his side.

Ewerthon: 4.5 - Had little more effect than Arizmendi in an attacking sense - not a night for Zaragoza's strikers to shine.

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Historically, Real Madrid is Spain's most successful team, having won 58 domestic trophies, and one of the most recognized football clubs in the world, having won 15 international trophies, making them the second most winning team in Europe and third in the world for official international competition won, all recognized by UEFA and FIFA; also it has the record in La Liga titles (with 31), Supercopa de España titles (with 8) and European Cup/ UEFA Champions League titles (with 9). The club was placed first in the FIFA Clubs of the 20th Century's selection on 23 December 2000. It also received the FIFA Order of Merit in 2004. Added to this, Real is allowed to wear a multiple-winner badge on their shirt during UEFA Champions League matches as they have won more than five European Cups.

The first crest of Real Madrid had a simple design consisting of a decorative interlacing of the three initials of the club, "MCF" for Madrid Club de Fútbol, in dark blue on a white shirt. The first change in the crest occurred in 1908 when the letters adopted a more streamlined form and appeared inside a circle. The next change in the configuration of the crest did not occur until the presidency of Pedro Parages in 1920. At that time, King Alfonso XIII granted the club his royal patronage which came in the form of the title "Real", roughly translated as "Royal". Thus, Alfonso's crown was added to the crest and the club styled itself Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. With the dissolution of the monarchy in 1931, all the royal symbols (the crown on the crest and the title of Real) were eliminated. The crown was replaced by the dark mulberry band of the Region of Castile. In 1941, two years after the end of the Civil War, the crest's "Real Corona", or "Royal Crown", was restored while the mulberry stripe of Castile was retained as well. In addition, the whole crest was made full color, with gold being the most prominent, and the club was again called Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. The most recent modification to the crest occurred in 2001 when the club wanted to better situate itself for the twenty-first century and further standardize its crest. One of the modifications made was changing the mulberry stripe to a more bluish shade.

Real Madrid's traditional home colours are all white, although it initially adopted a blue oblique stripe on the shirt (the design was kept in the club crest); but unlike today, dark blue socks were worn. The striped shirt was replaced by an all-white version, modeled after the shirt worn by Corinthian F.C., in 1902. In the same year, the blue socks were replaced by black ones. By the early 1940s the manager changed the kit again by adding buttons to the shirt and the club's crest on the left breast (which have remained ever since). On 23 November 1947, in a game against Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium, Real Madrid became the first Spanish team to wear numbered shirts.

Real's traditional away colours are all black or all purple. The club's kit is currently manufactured by Adidas whose contract extends from 1998. Real Madrid's first shirt sponsor, Zanussi, agreed for the 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons. Following that, the club was sponsored by Parmalat and Otaysa before a long-term deal was signed with Teka in 1992. In 2001, Real Madrid ended their contract with Teka and for one season used the Realmadrid.com logo to promote the club's website. Then, in 2002, a deal was signed with Siemens Mobile and in 2006, the BenQ Siemens logo appeared on the club's shirt. Real Madrid's current shirt sponsor is bwin.com following the economic problems of BenQ Siemens. A table showing which company was Real Madrid's kit manufacturer and which company's logo appeared on the face of those shirts as the shirt partner during what time period is shown below (note: first year noted in period column represents the playing season that started in that year, while last year noted represents the end of that year's season. For example, "period 1985-1992" represents seasons '85-'86 through '91-'92).

Stadiums

After moving between grounds the team moved to the "Campo de O'Donnell" in 1912, which remained its home ground for eleven years. After this period, the club moved for one year to the Campo de Ciudad Lineal, a small ground with a capacity of 8,000 spectators. After that, Real Madrid moved its home matches to Estadio Chamartín which was inaugurated on 17 May 1923 wi Chujim w dupe h hosted 22,500 spectators, Real Madrid celebrated its first Spanish league title. After some successes, the 1943 elected president Santiago Bernabéu decided that the Estadio Chamartín was not big enough for the ambitions of the club. A new stadium was built and was inaugurated on 14 December 1947. This was the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium as it is known today, although it did not acquire this name until 1955. The first match held on Bernabéu was played between Real Madrid and the Portuguese club Belenenses and won by The Whites with 3–1, the first goal being scored by Sabino Barinaga.

The capacity has changed frequently, peaking at 120,000 after a 1953 expansion. Since then, there have been a number of reductions due to modernizations (the last standing places went away in 1998–99 in response to UEFA regulations which forbids standing at matches in the UEFA competition), countered to some extent by expansions. The last change was an increase of about five thousand to a capacity of 80,354, effected in 2003. A plan to add a retractable roof has been announced.

The Bernabéu has hosted the 1964 European Championship final, the 1982 FIFA World Cup final, the 1957, 1969 and 1980 European Cup finals and is due to host the 2010 Champions League Final. The stadium has its own Madrid Metro station along the 10 line called Santiago Bernabéu. On 14 November 2007, the Bernabéu has been upgraded to Elite Football Stadium status by UEFA.

On 9 May 2006, the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium was inaugurated at the City of Madrid where Real Madrid usually trains. The inaugural match was played between Real Madrid and Stade Reims, a rematch of the 1956 European Cup final. Real Madrid won the match 6–1 with goals from Sergio Ramos, Cassano (2), Soldado (2), and Jurado. The venue is now part of the Ciudad Real Madrid, the club's new training facilities located outside Madrid in Valdebebas. The stadium holds 5,000 people and is Real Madrid Castilla's home ground. It is named after former Real footballer Alfredo di Stéfano.

Statistics and records

Raúl holds the record for most Real Madrid appearances, having played 726 first-team matches since 1994. Manuel Sanchis, Jr. comes second, having played 710 times. The record for a goalkeeper is held by Iker Casillas , with 487 appearances. With 127 caps (47 while at the club), Luís Figo of Portugal is Real's most capped international player.

Raúl is Real's all-time top goalscorer, with 321 goals in 726 games (1994–). Four other players have also scored over 200 goals for Real: Alfredo di Stefano (1953–64), Santillana (1971–88), Ferenc Puskás (1958–66) and Hugo Sánchez (1985–92). Sánchez holds the record for the most league goals scored in one season (38 in 1989–90). Di Stéfano's 49 goals in 58 matches was for decades the all-time highest tally in the European Cup, until it was surpassed by Raúl in 2005. The fastest goal in the history of the club (15 seconds) was scored by Brazilian Ronaldo on 3 December 2003 during a league match against Atlético Madrid.

Officially, Real Madrid's highest home attendance is 83,329 for a Copa del Rey match in 2006. The current legal capacity of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is 80,354. The club's average attendance in 2007–08 season was 76,234, the highest in European Leagues. Real have also set records in Spanish football, most notably the most domestic titles (31 as of 2007–08) and the most seasons won in a row (5, during 1960–65 and 1985–90). With 121 matches (from 17 February 1957 to 7 March 1965), the club holds the record for longest unbeaten run at home in La Liga.

The "Whites" also hold the record for winning the UEFA Champions League nine times and for the most semi-final appearances (21). Raúl González is the all-time UEFA Champions League top scorer, with 66 goals. The team has the record number of consecutive participation in the European Cup with 15, from 1955–56 to 1969–70.

In June 2009, the club broke its own record for the highest transfer fee ever paid in the history of football by agreeing to pay Manchester United €96 million ($131.5 million, £80 million) for the services of Cristiano Ronaldo. The fee of €76 million (over $100 million, £45.8 million) for Zinedine Zidane's transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001 was the previous highest transfer fee ever paid. In June 2009, Real Madrid also agreed to buy Kaká from AC Milan for a fee that broke the previous record in pounds sterling. The club's record sale came on 1 September 2008, when they sold Robinho to Manchester City for €42 million (£32.5 million).

Famous Fans

A number of famous personalities have professed their passion for Real Madrid CF. These include:

About Real Madrid C.F.

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid (and in Spain, within an adequate context, simply as el Madrid), is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record thirty-one La Liga titles, seventeen Spanish Cups, a record nine European Cups and two UEFA Cups. Real was a founding member of FIFA and the now-defunct G–14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association. The word "Real" in the club's name is the Spanish term for "Royal", and was added in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem.

Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has since spent all of its history in the top flight of Spanish football. In the 1940s, the club, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the Ciudad Deportiva were rebuilt following the Spanish Civil War. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. In the 1980s, the club had one of the best teams in Spain and Europe (known as La Quinta del Buitre), winning two UEFA Cups, five Spanish championships in a row, one Spanish cup and three Spanish Super Cups.

The team traditional home colours are all white, although it initially adopted a blue oblique stripe on the shirt. Its crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand; the current crest is a modified version of the one first adopted in the 1920s. Real's home ground is the 80,354-person-capacity Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in downtown Madrid, where it has played since 1947.

Real Madrid holds long-standing rivalries with some other clubs; the most notable of these is with FC Barcelona, the two teams regularly contest in El Clásico. Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception. The club is the world's richest football club (€351m) in terms of revenue and the second most valuable (worth over €950m as of 2008).

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